IGN's Best of E3 Nominee for Best Playstation 4 Game and Best Action Game

GameSpot's Best of E3 Winners (Tom McShea)

The blurb at the top of this is by Randolph Ramsay, but it was Tom McShea who played Axiom Verge at E3 and went on to evangelize it for the rest of the staff. The way I prefer to tell this story: Axiom Verge beat Destiny, the most expensive game ever made.

Perhaps not surprisingly, not a single one of these new and upcoming games attempts to offer a pure rendition of this format. Chasm and Rogue Legacy fold roguelike mechanics into their structure, including a high degree of randomness that's completely antithetical to Metroid's deliberate construction. Axiom Verge feels like a mishmash of Metroid, Contra, and a number of other NES action games. Finally, A.N.N.E. takes on an even more chimerical aspect.

Destructoid (Conrad Zimmerman)

I adore the art direction here, which calls to mind Life Force and R-Type while very clearly drawing a ton of inspiration from Metroid. Also listed as an inspiration is one of my favorite games ever, Rygar, so Happ is clearly speaking my language.

Gamesta (Daav Valentaten)

The man is currently creating oldschool gold with Axiom Verge; a Metroidvania game straight out of the 16bit era. He’s singlehandedly creating this title that just screams nostalgia; complete with gritty, obscure graphics and tons of exploration.

Armless Octopus (Anthony Swinnich)

Metroid fans have been clamoring for a new 2D entry in the series, but their cries have fallen on deaf ears. Luckily for them there’s someone out there putting together a game called Axiom Verge that should help quench their thirst.